Justus of Tiberias

Justus of Tiberias (Tiberias, c. 35 AD – Galilee, c. 100 AD) was a 1st century Jewish author and historiographer. All that we know of his life comes from the Vita which Flavius Josephus apparently wrote in response to the assertions made by Justus in his History of the Jewish War, published around 93/94 or shortly after 100. Justus's works have been lost and they currently survive only in small fragments from other works.

After the Great Jewish Revolt (66–70), Justus was the secretary of King Agrippa II and waited until his death to publish his History of this revolt. He is also known as the author of two other writings which disappeared much later. Thus in the ninth century, Bishop Photios of Constantinople was still able to access a copy of the Chronicle of the Jewish Kings' written by Justus.

Biographical elements

The Jewish Historian

Justus of Tiberias is a son of Pistos.[1] Both are presented as authorities of the city of Tiberias when Flavius Josephus was governor of Galilee in 66/67. He is best known as a historiographer.[1] None of his writings have come down to us, but three of them are mentioned by ancient authors. In his De viris illustribus (14), Jerome of Stridon mentions one of them which he calls Commentarioli de scriptura,[1] a commentary on the biblical writings, corresponding to what the Christian tradition calls the Old Testament. A few Church Fathers read his Chronicle of the Jewish Kings, a copy of which Bishop Photios of Constantinople could still consult in the ninth century[2][3] But the writing that makes us know it, although it seems to have disappeared almost immediately, is his History of the Jewish War, by the reaction it provoked in Flavius Josephus.[4]

Justus accused of being responsible for the revolt

In response to the Justus's History, Josephus indeed published his Vita in order to counter various assertions which told a very different story from what the latter had published in his Jewish War twenty years earlier.[5][6][7] He attacks Justus at length, even though he had not even mentioned him — nor his father Pistos — in The Jewish War written twenty years earlier.[8] Most of what we know about Justus, moreover, comes from a long digression by Josephus who attacks him in this Vita (336–367).[8] He criticizes him for multiplying the errors[9] — but without citing any explicitly — and for “not having had access, unlike him, to the field notes of Vespasian and Titus".[10]

However, despite Josephus' efforts to blame Justus for the uprising in Galilee, several facts he mentions in his Vita contradict this accusation.[11] Thus, Justus was opposed to the destruction of Herod's palace in Tiberias,[11] whereas on the contrary Josephus tried to obtain its destruction from the Council of the city.[12] Josephus himself says that Justus was not a member of the pro-war faction, but the leader of a faction in intermediate positions.[11] It is also possible that this third party is an invention of Josephus who could not make Justus the leader of the revolutionary party because it was far too well known that its leader was Jesus son of Sapphia.[13] Some of Justus' close relatives were also killed by the revolutionaries in Gamla.[11] Furthermore, Josephus states that he took him prisoner along with all the members of the council of Tiberias, because due to the invincibility of the Romans, this council had secretly pledged allegiance to King Agrippa and demanded that he send forces to take control of the city.[14][15] Josephus would then have released them, recommending that they show duplicity because if he was well aware of the invincibility of the Romans, they had to pretend to support the war against Rome because of the "brigands" (lestai)[16][Note 1] Josephus appropriates here “the discriminatory vocabulary of the Romans.[17] On several occasions in The Jewish War, he calls "brigands" the Jewish rebels,[18] such as the Sicarii, the Zealots[19] or the members of the Fourth philosophy.[17] For Shaye J. D. Cohen, those who are called “brigands” in this passage were Josephus' own followers at the material time.[20] Finally, even before Vespasian's offensive in Galilee (spring 67), Justus was no longer in Tiberias, but had joined King Agrippa[21] in Beirut[22][23] when the latter was going to join his army with Vespasian's three legions to begin the reconquest of all of Palestine, starting with Galilee.

After the Great Jewish Revolt (66-70), he was imperial secretary at the court of Agrippa,[24][25] king of Batanea and the eastern part of Galilee[1] (Vita 356).

Accusations of forgery

Josephus compares Justus and all the historians who lie "out of hatred or partiality" to "forgers who fabricate false contracts (V § 337)".[26] Then in the long digression in which Josephus attacks Justus (V 356), he suggests that if Agrippa drove Justus away and forbade him to "appear ever before him" from an indefinite moment, it was because he would have realized that he was being dishonest “in the office of secretary with which he [had] honored him."[27] For Shaye J. D. Cohen, “Josephus labels Justus as a forger, an accusation sometimes leveled against official secretaries,”[26] which goes back to the comparison he made in § 337[26] between those who lie to fabricate a false story – as Justus, according to him, did – and "forgers who fabricate false contracts". However, Josephus ends this passage by saying that “about all this [he] renounces to prove everything down to the detail".[28]

It was only after Agrippa's death that Justus published his History of the Jewish War, which triggered the writing of the Vita' of Flavius Josephus.[5][6][7] The dates of publication of these two writings depend on the date of the death of Agrippa which occurs either in 92/93,[29][30][31] or in 100. See on this subject the § Date of the death of Agrippa in the item Agrippa II.

After the publication of the Autobiography of Flavius Josephus, the two men disappear from history.

Justus' History of the Jewish War

Justus' book about the Great Jewish revolt was an account of the war (Vita 336 and 338) which included the campaign in Galilee, the actions of Josephus[32] and which challenged his version of the siege of Jotapata (Vita 357). He also recounted the siege of Jerusalem[32] (Vita 358).

He also apparently disputed Josephus' version about Philip of Bathyra and what had happened in Gamala and Batanea. It is mainly on these subjects that Josephus endeavors to answer at length, whereas he devotes only one sentence to answering the disputes of Justus about the siege of Iotapata - of which Josephus claims to have directed the defense - and to the about Josephus' version of the events that took place during the siege of Jerusalem[33] (V 357-358).

Disputing the veracity of the story told by Josephus

In his book, Justus declared to tell a superior story to those already published which took care to respect the historical facts.[32] According to Josephus, he thus contradicted the memoirs of Vespasian[10][32] (Vita 358). He “falsely testified” against Josephus[32] (Vita 338). The Vita of § 357 to 367 also implies that Justus was attacking the veracity of the Jewish War on certain points.[32]

Works

Justus's works have been lost and they currently survive only in small fragments from other works:[34] Justus is the author of a War of the Jews, probably written in Greek,[35] which he only publishes after the death of Agrippa (92 ou 100) whom he presents in an unfavorable light. This work is mentioned by Eusebius[36] of Caesarea and Jerome.[37] of Stridon, but indirectly, Flavius having probably worked for the disappearance of the work of his rival.

He is also the author of a Chronicle of the Jewish Kings from Moses to Agrippa II, briefly summarized by Photius.[38] Photius of Constantinople describes it as being written in sketchy forms. It is likely that several later authors used this material in their own works, such as Sextus Julius Africanus, Eusebius, Diogenes Laërtius;[39] and the Byzantine historian George Syncellus. Commenting this Chronicle, Photios laments that Justus failed to make any mention of Jesus of Nazareth.[40][41]

According to Jerome, Justus also wrote a Brief commentary of the Holy Scriptures, but no other references of that work survives and it is unclear whether it was an authentic work or a pseudoepigrapha.

Notes and references

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ "When I arrived at Tarichea, I made my prisoners come to dine with me, between whom were Justus and Pistus, his father, and told them that I knew like them what was the power of the Romans; but that the large number of rebels prevented me from showing my feelings, [176] and that I advised them to remain like me in silence, while waiting for a better time; that, however, they must have been very glad to have me as their governor, since no one else could treat them better." cf. Flavius Josephus, Autobiographie, § 175-176.

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d Mimouni 2012, p. 44.
  2. ^ Cohen 2002, pp. 142–143.
  3. ^ Frankfort 1961, pp. 51–53.
  4. ^ Cohen 2002, pp. 114–143.
  5. ^ a b Frankfort 1961, pp. 52–58.
  6. ^ a b Josephus & Pelletier 1959, p. XI - XX.
  7. ^ a b Cohen 2002, p. 17.
  8. ^ a b Cohen 2002, p. 114.
  9. ^ Mimouni 2012, pp. 44–45.
  10. ^ a b Mimouni 2012, p. 45.
  11. ^ a b c d Schürer, Millar & Verme 2014, p. 35.
  12. ^ Cohen 2002, p. 218.
  13. ^ Cohen 2002, p. 133.
  14. ^ Cohen 2002, p. 153.
  15. ^ Flavius Josephus, Autobiographie, § 155-158 and 175-176.
  16. ^ Cohen 2002, pp. 153, 213.
  17. ^ a b Mimouni 2012, p. 434.
  18. ^ Mimouni 2012, p. 438.
  19. ^ Mimouni 2012, p. 441.
  20. ^ Cohen 2002, p. 213.
  21. ^ Schürer, Millar & Verme 2014, p. 34.
  22. ^ Nodet, Etienne; Taylor, Justin (1998). The Origins of Christianity: An Exploration. Liturgical Press. p. 161. ISBN 9780814658628.
  23. ^ Flavius Josephus, Autobiographie, § 357.
  24. ^ Cohen 2002, p. 138.
  25. ^ Jones 2011, p. 20.
  26. ^ a b c Cohen 2002, p. 115.
  27. ^ Flavius Josephus, Autobiographie, § 356.
  28. ^ Flavius Josephus, Autobiographie, § 356, translated by André Pelletier, cf.Josephus & Pelletier 1959, p. 57.
  29. ^ Maurice Sartre places the date of death between 92 - 96 and proposes a date of 93/94 cf. Sartre 1985, p. 53.
  30. ^ Frankfort 1961, p. 54.
  31. ^ Cohen 2002, pp. 170–180.
  32. ^ a b c d e f Cohen 2002, p. 116.
  33. ^ Cohen 2002, p. 121.
  34. ^ Joan Comay, page 210.
  35. ^ Probablement intitulée Ancient Greek: Ιστορία ἡ τοῦ Ιουδαϊκοῦ Πολέμου τοῦ Οὐεσπασιανοῦ, s.v. Ancient Greek: Τιβεριάς, cité par Richard Gottheil, Samuel Krauss, op. cit.
  36. ^ Eusebius, Church History, Book III, 10, 8 orBook 10, Chapter 3, 8.
  37. ^ Jerome, De viris illustribus, Chapter 14
  38. ^ Photios, Bibliotheca, Chapter 33.
  39. ^ Diogenes Laërtius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Book 2
  40. ^ Photios, Bibliotheca, Chapter 33
  41. ^ James Carleton Paget, Jews, Christians and Jewish Christians In Antiquity, page 202, citing Photius' work Bibliotheke 33 (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2010). ISBN 978-3-16-150312-2

General sources

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